When we see records being broken and unprecedented events such as this, the onus is on those who deny any connection to climate change to prove their case. Global warming has fundamentally altered the background conditions that give rise to all weather. In the strictest sense, all weather is now connected to climate change. Kevin Trenberth

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New research, however, based on extensive computer modeling of Brazil's Atlantic Forest, shows that protecting remnants of rainforest may not be enough.
Forest fragments, the models found, have a higher mortality rate for trees, especially older, large, trees, which can reduce the forest's biomass by as much as 40%. This is a direct result of the unbalanced ratio between vulnerable forest edge and forest center that leads to thinning and slow degradation.

It's important to note that this is not a completely novel realization. A similar study, conducted by Stanford University, reached the same conclusions about the fragility of such forest compositions in August 2009.

However, this latest research poses some intimidating challenges for conservationists looking to preserve the islands of rainforest that remain. In the report, researchers explain that "it is important to be clear about the fact that we are losing more than just the deforested areas." They went on to say that:

It is a mistake to think only in terms of total area. We have to start thinking in terms of the spatial configuration of the remaining forest fragments as well.

There are, of course, many questions raised by these results, which must be verified with empirical evidence before they are confirmed. However, one thing is clear: Forest fragments do not perform in the same way continuous forest does.